Pokemon Sword and Shield Version Exclusives: Exclusive Pokemon, Exclusive Gym Leaders - What Are the Differences Between Sword and Shield

As with every other set of Pokemon games we’ve seen so far, there will be version exclusives for Pokemon Sword and Shield. Here’s what you need to know.

Guide
by Jake Green, Senior Guides Writer

Updated on 9 July 2019

Pokemon Sword and Shield will continue the age-old Poke-tradition of version exclusives. There are some new changes to this feature, however, with version exclusive Gym Leaders thrown in for good measure. In this Pokemon Sword and Shield Version Exclusives Guide, we’ll be taking a look at which Pokemon you can only get in Pokemon Sword, and then Pokemon Shield. We’ll also be taking a look at the Sword-exclusive Gym Leader and the Shield-exclusive Gym Leader, so that you’re better informed as to which version you want to pick up.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Differences

As we mentioned previously, there will be three kinds of exclusive content for Pokemon Sword and Shield. This is likely to change, however, and it’s looking likely that there might be even more differences between the two versions than we’ve seen in the series previously. Here’s what we know so far.

There will be exclusive Pokemon to each version

There will be at least one exclusive Gym Leader for both Sword and Shield

Legendaries will vary between the two.

Pokemon Shield Exclusive Pokemon

Just like in previous Pokemon games, there will be a few exclusive Pokemon for each version. For Pokemon Shield, you have the following:

Larvitar

Goomy

Pokemon Sword Exclusive Pokemon

To encourage trading between the two versions, different Pokemon will appear in Pokemon Sword when compared to Shield. So far we only know about these two exclusive Pokemon:

Deino

Jangmo-o

Pokemon Sword Exclusive Gym Leader Bea

In what is a first for the mainline Pokemon series, each version of Pokemon Sword and Shield will have at least one exclusive Gym Leader each. The first is Bea, a fighting-type trainer who players will only face if they have Pokemon Sword. You can check her out in the screenshot below:

Pokemon Sword and Shield Exclusive Gym Leader Allister

Next up we have Allister, a ghost-expert who players will face off against in Pokemon Shield. He has a particularly unique appearance, with many pointing out his resemblance to a Shy Guy.

Pokemon Sword and Shield Legendaries

As well as the handful of exclusive Pokemon for Pokemon Sword and Shield, there aren’t a whole lot of differences between the two. Perhaps the most important difference is the two legendary Pokemon that appear on each game’s box art. Here’s which belongs to which version:

Jake is a former freelance writer who now heads up guides for USG. He spends his days dreaming of an X-Files dating-sim and will play literally any game with monkeys in it. He has an unhealthy obsession with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and would pretty much trade a kidney for Skate 4 at this point.